After the Ocarina of Time
by Ermie
Summary: Link doesn't remember anything but the fragments he sees in his dreams. Years later, he is determined to discover the past he's forgotten. Link and his girls get.... closer.
1. The Return

A/N: I just finished re-playing Ocarina of Time and felt so sad that the cinematic didn't continue beyond the moment of Zelda and Link meeting. So I've taken it into my own hands! Expect lots of fluff and some love triangles! Oh and also, I know that young Link is really young so I've taken it upon myself to re-age him in this particular story. He's about... say... 17? I know this goes against the timeline, but OH WELL. Young Link is TOO YOUNG for some of the stuff he's going to be experiencing in this story.

Chapter 1: The Return

A startling noise woke him, shaking the inexplicable dream from his mind momentarily. Sitting up, he swung his legs over the edge of his wooden bed and stretched. The others never complained about their beds –- mere logs with a deep trench cut into them – but he couldn't understand how they thought them _comfortable_. Groaning, he shoved the complaint back into the further recesses of his mind. He wouldn't give them yet another reason to tease him about being different.

"LINK!"

He stood quickly and poked his head out, squinting in the morning light.

"Saria?" he called, running a hand through his haphazard hair and grabbing his hat from the shelf by the door. He fit the hat snugly onto his head and then emerged from his tall treehouse. "What's going on?" Link sat on the edge of his platform, his feet finding the rungs on his ladder and resting there casually.

An extremely pretty girl with long hair the color of pale spring grass was frowning up at him, her hands at her hips. Her fairy wasn't visibly shimmering and buzzing all around, which meant it was probably sleeping the morning away in the cozy nook between Saria's neck and shoulder.

"What's going on?" Saria echoed, her voice becoming more and more irritated. "You were supposed to be up _hours_ ago. You're the laziest boy I've ever seen – everyone else has been up since sunrise!"

Fighting down a smile, Link tried to assume an apologetic air. "I must not be a Kokiri after all," he murmured in a pseudo-sorrowful voice. Saria stamped her foot but didn't bother to retort – it was a sensitive subject with him and he knew she would be treading carefully here. "All right, all right. I'm up now, aren't I?" he sighed, turning around to climb down the ladder. "It's just as well, my dreams are coming back."

"Really?" Saria asked, her interest piqued. Ever since Link's mysterious return from 'Outside' years ago, he'd been plagued by odd dreams of people he'd never met and places he'd never been. She insisted that by examining the dreams Link would be able to discover what had happened in those few weeks that he'd been gone. But Link shook his head impatiently, not willing to revisit the frightening emptiness in his memory of that time in his life. Sometimes deep into the night, he could _just_ remember the faint melody of a familiar song but try as he might he could not bring it into his conscious thought.

"Nevermind," he said more sharply than he intended. Saria waited silently. "I can almost remember the song," he said softly.

"Maybe if you used your Ocarina..." Saria suggested slowly. The Fairy Ocarina Saria had given to him before he left the Kokiri Forest still hung on his belt, though he didn't use it regularly enough to merit its place. Still, it was a comfortable and familiar weight and being without it made him feel extremely naked and defenseless.

"Are you sure you don't want it back?" Link said after a while, shifting his weight. "It's yours after all... and I'm back – I've _been_ back—"

"It's yours now," she interrupted calmly, as if it was the simplest thing in the world. At times like this, when her words were calm and her eyes shielded in a mysterious wisdom, Link felt almost as if he were back in the misty realm of his dreams and forgotten memories. "What?"

He had been staring. Looking away, Link let his gaze wander to the high rising land beyond the Forest shop. There was an opening in the side of the hill and suddenly Link remembered another melody, cheerful and bright. One that reminded him of...

"...saying that you stole it, even though I keep telling him what really happened with the old Deku Tree. Are you listening?"

"What?" The memory fled at Saria's impatient question.

"Mido is telling everyone that will listen that you stole the Kokiri sword and used it to destroy the old Deku Tree."

Link frowned in puzzlement. "That was years ago, why is he bringing it up again? And now?"

Glancing about her, Saria tapped her guardian fairy awake and whispered, "Let me know if someone comes near, okay?" The fairy, apparently communicating telepathically with Saria, fluttered away after a moment in which she stretched becomingly in the morning sun. Link tried not to feel the familiar yearning for a fairy of his own.

"Listen, something is happening to the forest surrounding our village." Saria was speaking quietly and intently now, and Link was sure that this was the reason she had come to speak to him this morning. "The fairies have been chattering about some threat looming near, and the Deku Tree's leaves show signs of yellowing." They were in the heart of summer – no leaves should be turning colors. Link frowned.

"Why..."

"Mido is trying to put the blame on you in some way. He's never forgiven you for saving the Deku Tree and returning the hero. He says..." she took a deep breath "...since you've got the sword, you should go out and face this new evil, whatever it is. BUT. I got here first to tell you: DON'T GO." Link opened his mouth to protest, but Saria rushed on. "Just think what happened last time, Link! You left and we didn't hear from you for weeks. You mysteriously appear in your house with no memory of what happened after you left the forest. _Something_ must have happened, and someone doesn't want you to remember. The Kokiri die if we leave the forest. You must've gotten something from the old Deku Tree that protected you from it, but you don't have that now – whatever it was. You can't just venture off. No matter WHAT Mido says."

Link held up his hands to stop Saria from launching into another long winded passage. He couldn't understand how she'd think he needed to hear this from her. He felt just the same as she did and wanted no part of the Outside after his previous experiences. Remembering bits and pieces of what had happened inside the Deku Tree was bad enough. He could barely bring himself to look at the various prizes and weapons he'd found stashed in his trunk – a boomerang, several mysterious gems, and glowing, pulsating crystals, just to name a few. He didn't _want_ to remember and he didn't _want_ to go Outside.

"Calm down Saria. You know I wouldn't go Outside, no matter what Mido says. Why are you so worked up?"

But Saria didn't have time to answer because all of a sudden, they heard someone cry out – "HELP!" Freezing for a moment, Link leapt to his ladder and rushed inside his house. Throwing the trunk open, he strapped on his Kokiri sword and grabbed his Deku shield.

"LINK!" Saria's scream was like ice shooting through his veins. Link flew out the door and was horrified. Three giant wolf-like creatures were struggling to capture Saria. There were more wolf-monsters all over the village, attempting to kidnap the Kokiri. Taking a deep breath and gathering courage from gods-knew-where, Link swung down from his high perch and landed with a smooth roll. He ran for the nearest creature and brought the sword down in a jump attack that cleaved through its armor. The creature dropped Saria's legs and turned to face him. Heart thundering, Link paced around the monster. Spurred by instincts he didn't know he had, he leapt to one side as the monster took a swipe with its claws. Taking advantage of that brief moment where the monster's back was turned, he landed another enormous slash of the sword into the monster's back. With a hauntingly human cry, the monster burst into purple flame and disintegrated to the ground. Struck by its terrible demise, Link stood still for a moment and struggled to gain his breath.

"YOU!" Another wolf-creature growled, mangling the language with its throaty voice. "THIS IS THE ONE WE WANT. ABANDON THE OTHERS!" it called. As one, the Wolf creatures dropped all the Kokiri and gunned straight for him. If there was a time to panic, this was certainly it. Link didn't understand why he felt so calm. He found himself crouched low and calling upon some inner magical pool that had been undisturbed for years. As they bore down on him, he released this unknown energy and found himself spinning, his blade bright blue with magical power. The monsters fell back, screaming and howling.

The lead creature hung back and glared at Link. "You, boy. There's no need for fighting. Hand us the Spiritual Stones and we shall leave you and your people."

_The Spiritual Stones?_ _What?_

"No," Link answered, his voice strong and steady.

Growling with hatred, the monster stepped closer. "Our master told us you would be stubborn. Give us the Stones, you stupid boy. Or face the wrath of Ganondorf!"

Without thinking, Link shouted, "Ganondorf is DEAD! And so is GANON. His evil is gone, resealed into the Sacred Realm for all time!"

The monsters coiled back from his verbal attack as if stung. "You speak lies, you know nothing! The great master will return for us!" But the wolf-creature sounded unconvinced.

"He will never return. I saw to that personally." Link was amazed at the words issuing from his lips. He knew they came from some deeper, unfathomable part of him. They sounded right and sane to him even though he had no idea what they meant.

"YOU!" The wolf creature lunged for his throat, but met Link's blade instead. With a gurgle, it fell to the ground, rolled its head back and howled – long, keening, and despairing – before disintegrating. The entire pack of Wolves burst into purple flame and vanished into the ground.

Shaking, Link sheathed his sword and stared blankly at the ground before him. Before long, he realized that all the Kokiri were staring at him in awe and terror. Spontaneously, the crowd burst into cheers. "LINK! LINK! HERO OF THE KOKIRI!" they cried. A solitary figure sulked in the background before slinking away. Link sank to the ground.

"Link, are you okay!" Saria rushed to his side, her grip on his arm was painfully tight. Her face was paler than he had ever seen, and he thought he could see marks on her face where her fingernails had dug into her skin.

"Oh my god, Link. Oh my god." She hugged him and held him for a long moment. All this time, Link had not spoken. Now, seeing the dispersing crowd of relieved children, Link let loose a shaky breath.

"I don't know," he said hoarsely, "where any of that came from." He was gripping the Deku shield so hard that his knuckles were white. "It felt _right_, fighting them. I knew what I was doing. I wasn't scared at all. And... and where did that magic come from? I didn't know... I didn't know Kokiri had magic reservoirs."

"We don't," Saria whispered. "But Link..." she ventured slowly. "I think we both know you're really not a Kokiri."

He looked up at her, stunned. "But..."

"You'll always belong here, Link, it's not a question of _that_. But look at you – you're 16 now and you look like you're 16. Kokiri never age, Link. Look at me."

And Link looked. He saw for the first time what he had been blinding himself to all these years. He was slowly growing and aging, and the others were _not_. He lowered his head onto his knees, letting out a long, slow breath.

"Then... if I'm not a Kokiri... What am I?" he asked. "Why did I forget everything that happened in those weeks? Why am I here? What do the dreams mean?" he looked up and met Saria's deep, violet eyes.

"I don't know," she whispered.

"Me neither," he sighed. A long moment passed between them. Something within him seemed to be grinding into place. He'd waited six years to do this, but somehow he knew that he must. All this time, he'd been ignoring his mysterious dreams and pretending the emptiness in his memories didn't bother him. But now it was time to go to the Outside and try to rediscover what had happened to him during that time. He had to find answers. And he knew where to start.

"I'm going to see the Deku Tree," he decided. He got up quickly, brushing himself off and extending a hand to Saria. She took it, pulled herself up, and held on. When he didn't get his hand back, Link looked into Saria's fathomless eyes.

"And then?" she said softly, her fingers entwining with his.

"I don't know," he said. "I need answers."

"Will you come back?"

"Yes."

Saria smiled wistfully and dropped his hand. "It was never meant to be," she said sadly. Link's heart beat a little faster.

"What..?"

"Us," she answered simply. "When we were younger I thought we were destined for each other. But as time passed, I knew something was different about you. You never got a fairy. You thought that was something horrible, marking you as different. I thought it only confirmed my thoughts. You're not a Kokiri. You're something far greater. And I only wish..." she smiled. "Well, it doesn't matter. Go. Go to the Deku Tree. Promise you'll come back and visit?"

Link opened his mouth to protest. Visit? This was his _home_. He'd be coming back to _live_. Before he could say anything, however, Saria leaned forward and kissed him soundly on the lips. Warmth flooded his body, his senses were reeling, and world seemed to spin. Still, the only thing he was aware of was the soft warmth of her lips pressed against his.

She pushed him away and whispered, "Goodbye Link," before turning to run away.


	2. The Great Deku Tree

A/N: Thank you so much for your reviews. It really does inspire me to write when I see that people are actually reading. Anyway, this chapter was sort of hard to write because it was a lot of exposition and getting some plot out of the way. So it's not quite as exciting. It might actually be boring. BUT I hope to meet Malon or Ruto in the next chapter, although I really don't know where it's headed specifically. Stick around because I promise it will get better! Thanks again!

Chapter 2: The Great Deku Tree

Rushing up the slope and away from his house, Link ran after Saria. He reached her door just as it shut firmly behind her. Though his hand was half-raised to knock, he paused when he heard soft sobs coming from inside. His chest feeling strangely tight, Link lowered his hand. She was right. He was leaving, wasn't he? And if she did open the door, he didn't know what he would say to her. With a reluctant heart, he turned away from the door and further down the path past the house of the twins and toward the tunnel leading to the Great Deku Tree. Just as he reached the tunnel, a shadow fell across his path.

"Where do you think you're going?" a sneering voice demanded. "The Deku Tree hasn't summoned you."

"I need to talk to him abou—"

"Look, _Hero of the Kokiri_. I'm still the Boss around here and if I say you're not going, you're _not_." Arms crossed, Mido strutted away from Link and planted himself firmly in front of the opening. Link felt the beginnings of impatience stirring within him.

"Mido," he tried again. "The Great Deku Tree _knows_ about my past, I'm sure of it. Just get out of my way." Link took a few steps forward, challengingly staring Mido down from his considerable height. The fact that Link had actually grown two or more feet in the last 6 years seemed to dawn on Mido. His face paled and he took a step back, but his lip stayed curled in a sneer.

"I've always known you weren't a Kokiri," he blustered, eyeing something in Link's hand.

Link realized with a start that he was still gripping his sword and shield. He flexed his grip on it slightly and glared at Mido.

"Next time you leave, I hope it's for good. You don't belong here." With those cold words, Mido stormed down the path and toward his house, shoving someone roughly out of the way as he went.

_He's right about one thing. I _don't_ belong here,_ Link thought sadly as he walked the path toward the Great Deku Tree's meadow. His muffled footsteps resounded loudly around him, making him feel lonely and vulnerable in the woods. What would he ask the Deku Tree? Would he get the answers he was searching for?

"... Link ..." a comforting voice that seemed to come from all parts of the tree's vastness rumbled through him. Link gazed up at the grand tree stretching to the sky in front of him. The Deku Tree sapling had grown immensely in the few years since it had been planted, and already its towering branches almost seemed to reach the height of the previous Deku Tree.

"Great Deku Tree," Link began. But he stopped, unsure of how to continue.

"I have been anticipating thee for some time," the Deku Tree sighed, the wind rustling through its leaves.

"But I wasn't summoned..."

"No. But since your return, six years ago, I have known that you would come to me with questions. Questions, I should add, that I cannot answer completely to your satisfaction." Link felt disappointment swell within him, but he only nodded.

"Your memories are hazy and clouded, are they not?" Link nodded again. "And you feel you could almost remember great events and strange places if you could only dream them for a few moments more, yes?" This time, Link couldn't bring himself to move. Something strange was happening. A faint melody had started to hum through the leaves of the Deku Tree. At moments, it seemed it was just his imagination, but at others, the melody was strong and clear. Link strained to listen, but he could not place where it was coming from.

"It is time you remembered. You were sent through time and back again, you saw great and terrible things, you fought bravely and fiercely." There was a heavy pause. "You. Saved. Hyrule."

"From... what, sir?" Link ventured, trying to focus all his attention on the conversation. But half of his mind always wandered back to that song...

"A great evil that tried – and indeed, succeeded – in taking Hyrule by force. I will not speak its name here, but you fought creatures today that did his bidding. And I cannot hope that they were the only ones still lurking in the shadows of this land, biding their time."

"You mean... there are more of them? What do they want?"

"Do you not know, Link? Can you not think back on the day you came to me, six years ago? Do you not remember... Navi?"

A shimmering, dancing ball of light shot out of one of the coils of the Deku Tree's branches and, without giving Link enough time to react, zoomed directly for him. It collided with his shoulder, squeaked in high pitched girlish voice, and then flew in dizzying circles around his head.

Surprised and more than a little frightened, Link shouted in alarm and began to swat at the air around him. The ball of light gave a tinkling little laugh and grabbed onto his hand, riding it as he flailed it about.

"Hey!" she called in a chirping voice, "Wheee!" His hand had stopped mid-swat, frozen in place. Link felt his heart thundering in his chest, beating so hard and fast that he thought it would fly out of his throat in any second. Something had just come crashing back to him. The familiar voice, that irritating "Hey!" and even the tinkling little laugh. _NAVI._

His guardian fairy. Navi. She'd left him..._when?_ His memory was too patched. She'd come to him one day out of the blue, waking him from another one of those horrible dreams about the girl on the horse running from the frightening man. _Navi brought me to the Deku Tree. He was already ailing. He needed my help to rid himself of a curse laid upon him by... who?_

Link felt his breath return to him. The Deku Tree was waiting, silently. Even Navi was quiet for once, waiting in the crook of his arm. She smiled sunnily up at him, her face and demeanor unchanged.

"N...Navi," Link said hoarsely. "Where have you been all this time?"

"Waiting," she said simply.

"I... I still don't remember much," Link whispered, half to himself and half to the Deku Tree. "I came here to help _him._" He glanced at the shadow of a large tree slumbering behind the Deku Tree. "He was sick and there were monsters inside. It was the most difficult thing I'd ever done, getting through that. And..." He choked on his words at the next memory that was becoming clear to him. _Parasitic... Armored. Arachnid. Gohma._ He could picture it with startling clarity now, the enormity of it, the horrifying thought of having to fight the spider-like beast. But somehow, he'd gritted his teeth and gone through with it. And then the Deku Tree died anyway, but he'd given him the...

_Spiritual Stone._

"What was the Spiritual Stone? Why did I need it?"

"I cannot reveal this to you. You must discover the rest of your memories yourself. I told you this once and I will tell you again. You were always bound to leave this forest. You know what you must do."

Something stirred on his shoulder. Navi was swinging her legs on his shoulder, eyeing him with great interest. "You don't remember a thing?" she asked incredulously. "Not even Ze—"

"Navi," the Deku Tree interrupted sternly. "He must discover it himself."

"Yes, Great Deku Tree," Navi answered sullenly.

Feeling the conversation coming to an inevitable close, Link cried out desperately, "But where? Where must I go to rediscover the truth? And... and _how?_ Don't we Kokiri die when we leave the forest?" It was a last ditch effort to cling to the false hope that he was still considered one of them. The Deku Tree sighed with a gentle rustling of its leaves.

"Try to remember, Link. You are not a Kokiri, but that you have discovered on your own. Leaving the forest did not and will not kill you."

Link stared hard at the ground before him. "A Hylian?" The words slipped out, as if someone else was speaking them. This seemed like new information, but something stirred within him. He had known. He was not a Kokiri. He knew he was a Hylian. Some of the fog had lifted from his mind and Link stood straighter. Already he felt different and yet, for the first time in six years, he felt more like _himself_. It was as if the past six years, he'd been masquerading as something younger and more naïve. His hand strayed to the familiar Ocarina at his belt.

"This was important, wasn't it?" he said softly, already feeling something changing within him. "I could never leave it in the trunk with the other things." He patted it slowly.

"And... this song?" He didn't have to specify what song he meant. It had been playing louder and louder all this time, coming from the Deku Tree's entire being. It was the same song he thought he had remembered coming from the entrance to the Lost Woods overlooking Kokiri forest.

"As I told you once, I will tell you once again. Go to Hyrule Castle. Meet with the Princess of Destiny." The Deku Tree settled into itself and Link knew he had just been dismissed.

"Navi?" he whispered, turning his head slightly to his left. The motions were eerily familiar, as if he'd done it hundreds of times in a previous life. "You coming?"

"Wouldn't miss it," she giggled. "The Deku Tree said you should meet the Princess of Destiny."

Link felt a stab of irritation. Did she think he hadn't heard?

"But I _think_ you should go see Saria before you leave."

He pictured Saria alone in her house, crying. Taking a deep breath, Link adjusted the strap of his sword and nodded. "I need to get some stuff from my room before we head Outside, anyway."


	3. Toward Hyrule Castle

A/N: Thank you SO VERY MUCH for reviewing so often! It inspires me to continue writing, so thank you. I'm afraid Link is being rather stubborn with me. He doesn't want to go to the castle. No matter how much I push, he pushes back. I'm going to have a stern talk with him soon. _Haha_. Okay, joking aside. I really do want to GET HIM GOING, but stuff keeps happening that I didn't foresee. I mean, I _wanted_ to meet Malon in this chapter... but not like this. Oh well, you'll see.

**Chapter 3: Toward Hyrule Castle**

Now that he had decided upon this journey, excitement flooded through his body and made him realize that he had missed it badly over the past six years. Taking a deep breath, Link started to jog lightly through the tunnel leading back to their small village. All the time, his thoughts raced in wild, incomprehensible streams.

_A Hero. Saved Hyrule? Navi. Gohma. Defeated Gohma! Saria... _

He reveled in the knowledge that seemed to burst into his mind in great torrents. His fingers itched for his slingshot, and the belt loop where he had kept his boomerang was much too light. So much had been locked away, and there was so much more to discover. But why? Why hadn't he remembered all this when he had returned from Outside?

_The Princess of Destiny._

"Navi?"

"Yeah!" she chirped from his shoulder, giggling in excitement. "God, I missed this. I've been cooped up with the other fairies in the Great Deku Tree for _SO LONG_!" She flew from his shoulder and raced around him, leaving bright shimmering trails of fairy dust in her wake.

"Who is the Princess of Destiny?" he asked, slowing to a walk as he approached Saria's closed door.

"Link," Navi said impatiently. "I can't help you with this, the Great Deku Tree forbid it. I'll let you know when there's something I _can_ tell you. But c'mon, think. Who's the _PRINCESS_ of Destiny?"

The only princess that came to Link's mind was the mysterious and beautiful Princess Zelda residing in Hyrule Castle. But the Great Deku Tree had said he'd told Link to go to her before. Surely his past didn't involve someone as great as... _her?_

"I guess we're going to Hyrule Castle," he said grimly. He had no idea how he was going to get inside the castle, just a young boy from the forest, but he put that problem aside for the moment.

Another, possibly more difficult problem was facing him at the moment. Saria's door stood before him, firmly shut. Link put his hand out and touched the rough wood, wondering.

"She'll be okay," Navi said. A moment passed in silence as Link tried to compose something to say in his head. And then, a lightly lilting melody began to play from within. Doubt and fear were erased from his mind by a sudden thrill of discovery.

It was _Saria's_ song. How could he have forgotten the significance of that melody? He had played it countless times to converse with Saria, and yet he had even forgotten that she had an Ocarina of her own.

Link listened intently, trying to determine if Saria was still crying. But she only continued to play the song that had been resonating within him for the past hour. It evoked memories of summer, fireflies, and the scent of rain mingling with earth.

As the last notes faded into nothingness, he realized that there was nothing else to be said between them. He turned resolutely from the door and headed for his tree house. There was never a goodbye, not for them.

"Aren't you going to say goodbye? Well, I guess it's for the best," Navi chattered in her singsong voice. "At least she'll be safe here."

Link wasn't so sure. He climbed the ladder and entered his room, heading directly for his trunk. "Why are the Deku Tree's leaves yellowing? Is there something wrong?"

Navi squeaked in alarm and fell off her perch on his windowsill. Fluttering back up, she recovered enough to stammer, "W-wrong!"

"Navi," he warned, his voice taking a practiced tone. "The last time the Great Deku Tree summoned me, it was to break a curse placed on him by Ganondorf. But he called on me too late and it killed him anyway. You don't want something like that to happen again, do you?" Link deftly picked Navi out of the air and held her gently yet firmly in his fist.

Her tiny head popped out from within his fist and shook from side to side vigorously. "It's not like that this time. The Great Deku Tree is only feeling the effects of a growing e-evil," she trailed off. "I can't say anymore," she whispered miserably.

Link released her from his grip and turned to peruse the contents of his trunk. A growing evil with power enough to harm the Great Deku Tree. The remnants of Ganondorf's followers finding their way through the Kokiri Forest and into the village. Could the two possibly be connected?

"How did I manage to carry all this without even so much as a haversack?" he murmured, looking down into the mess inside his trunk. His boomerang was already fastened securely to his belt, as were his bomb bag and Deku seed bag. His slingshot was equipped to the other side of his belt.

Reaching in, Link gingerly extracted three glowing gems out of the trunk and polished them gently against his tunic. The Spiritual Stones twinkled merrily at him. Carefully wrapping them in cloth, Link tucked them into a pouch which he then put under his tunic.

But that still left in the trunk two pulsating crystals that resonated with magic power, an odd object that looked like a fish scale made of silver, and a scattered array of Deku nuts, Deku sticks, and bean pods. It all seemed too important to leave behind. Frowning down at the assortment of objects, he tried to recall how he had managed it before. Still nothing came to him, although it was hard to concentrate with Navi giggling away in his ear.

"I'm trying to think, Navi," he said quietly. "How did I...?"

She was laughing fit to kill now, rolling about on his shoulder and making tinkling noises that were utterly distracting. Link groaned and turned his head to the left.

"What is so funny?" he asked.

"You. Did you forget about your travel bag? You used to carry everything in there. Although sometimes it was hard for you to find anything quickly. I remember you trying to call a time-out once because you couldn't find any Deku Nuts and you needed them to stun some statutes in the Spirit Temple."

"None of that made any sense to me," Link growled. _Spirit Temple?_ He filed away that bit of information and continued to rummage through his trunk, now looking for a large bag of some sort. He didn't find anything, although there _was_ a small leather pouch that clipped on to his belt.

After much argument (how could something so small fit all _that_) and laughter from Navi, Link – to his astonishment – had fit all the assorted items into the little leather pouch.

Looking about his small room, he wondered when he would see its cozy comforts again. It was only a journey to Hyrule Castle after all. How long could it possibly take?

Hefting all the equipment now weighing him down with an accustomed heaviness, Link said a silent farewell to Kokiri Forest and made his way over the Lost Woods bridge and Outside.

------------------------------

It was with a sigh of relief that Link caught sight of the far-off drawbridge leading in to Hyrule Castle and its surrounding marketplace, gleaming in the evening sun. It had proved a wearisome run from Kokiri Forest, and he found himself wishing for a speedier way to travel. He would be there by midday tomorrow, he was sure.

Stopping to catch his breath amidst a cluster of low shrubs, Link rummaged through his leather pouch – the inside must have been expanded by some magic, to hold all that – and brought out a handful of nuts and berries. Chewing thoughtfully on his meager dinner, he gazed at the strong white walls and tried to feel as if he were heading home.

The sound of hooves thundering across the field brought him out of his reverie. He turned and watched a magnificent chestnut horse with a flowing white mane galloping out of a nearby outcropping of rock. Its rider was cloaked and hooded, and he moved with such fluid grace that Link felt the rider must have been riding horses all his life.

The urgency with which the rider fled toward the castle aroused a deep foreboding within him, and Link got up quickly and dusted himself off. Perhaps he could make the castle sooner than midday if he quickened his pace.

"We're going already?" a sleepy Navi murmured from her perch on his shoulder.

"Might as well," he answered. "Go back to sleep. Everything's fine."

Just as the words left him, a screeching cry rent the air and the warm summer evening became suddenly chill and dark. The sun was going down and a slow creaking sound began. The castle drawbridge was being raised.

Link watched in horror as a terrible lizard-like monster sped toward the rider fleeing on horseback. It was enormous and ran nearly as quickly as the horse galloped.

"Navi!" he shouted, pointing. It didn't look like the rider would make it in time. He began to sprint toward the castle, knowing he would never make it there before the lizard monster reached the rider. He had drawn his sword without realizing it. Impatiently, Link stopped to sheathe it so he could run at full speed.

"A Lizafolos!" Navi gasped in his ear as they made for the castle. "Those are really really powerful – that rider is in terrible danger! Do you think we'll make it there in time!"

He could only hope. He willed his legs to push off from the ground with more and more force, gulping air into his lungs with hardly a thought for anything but the safety of that mysterious rider. The drawbridge had started its slow rise; it was too late for the horse to—

Link gasped and stumbled to a stop. The horse had made a nearly impossible jump, clearing the moat and clambering over the drawbridge's edge to safety. The Lizafolo made a wild leap, trying to pursue, but fell with a despairing shriek into the moat and was swept away by the current.

Heart pounding, Link took several deep breaths and loosened his grip on his sword. He fell to the ground and tried to regain his composure.

"Wh-what _was_ that!" he finally demanded. Navi was fluttering nearby, still staring at the castle walls with fear written into her expression.

"A Lizafolos," she answered quietly, her tiny voice trembling. "I can't believe they're... _back._"

"If they ever left in the first place," he muttered drily. The panic was fading and something was taking its place, an embittered sense of reality that he somehow knew had been long forgotten, but deeply-rooted within him all the same.

"I take it we've fought those before?" he asked, bringing himself to his feet.

"Yes," Navi answered, her focus now shifted onto him. She eyed him with a thoughtful expression. "Do you remember?"

"Nope," he replied shortly. "I'm beginning to feel like there was a reason I didn't want to remember all this," he said.

"Really?" His guardian fairy hovered very close to his face, and he could tell her expression was slightly disappointed. He grinned.

"No, not really." Brushing hair out of his eyes, Link began walking at a steady pace.


	4. Light Shed

[A/N: Um. Does anyone remember this story? Heh. I'm going to try to finish it, now that I'm about halfway through Twilight Princess. For those who have asked, I have no idea who Link will end up with – it depends on which character I end up liking more with him, and maybe will be swayed by persuasive reviewers. There will be some Malon and Ruto fun as well as Zelda, because let's face it – they all love him like crazy. I mean, Link is pretty susceptible to a woman's wiles at this point, not having learned any immunities. :) I'm very very sorry that I let this die two years ago, and I will work hard to update it as I can.

Chapter 4: Light Shed

By the time they reached the castle town, the eastern sky was becoming slowly light. Having only stopped briefly again to rest, Link ignored his protesting muscles and jogged the rest of the distance to the drawbridge. The enormity of the walls stunned him – he had never seen anything larger than the Kokiri Forest and their tiny tree houses. Or had he?

As the sun appeared, inch by inch, a sudden clatter of chains and creaking wood sounded. The drawbridge eased its way down slowly and landed with a thud before Link's booted feet. Shifting his weight slightly, he felt the reassuring pressure of his sword secure against his back, which calmed his nervous fluttering slightly. Now that the drawbridge was down, he could see into the town in the early morning light and the sleepy stirrings of those people who got up with the sun. He stepped onto the bridge.

"Who're you?" a gruff voice called out from above. Looking up, he saw a soldier blinking sleep from his eyes as he leaned out the window of the guard tower by the drawbridge. "How long've you been out there? All night?! State your business," he called, though his attitude was that of a bored man going through his usual routine.

He had been prepared to see Hylians, but couldn't shake the feeling that this man was over-sized, in a way. "Erm… I'm here to see the Pr—"

"No, silly!" Navi squeaked in his ear.

"The- um… Pridos," Link finished lamely.

"The whos?!" the guard barked at him, mildly distracted by his breakfast. "Go on, go on," he called down, waving Link in. "Backwater lout, we can stand to have a few less of _them_ around here," the guard said loudly to someone out of Link's view. Feeling heat rise to his face, he pushed his way past a slow trundling merchant's cart and into the town's center.

It caught his attention immediately – the castle, rising up above the squalor of the drab marketplace, which was already stirring with life and some feeble, tired merchants calling out their wares. A young boy walked by, selling from his basket of warm bread, which Link gladly accepted, returning some rupees to the boy. Tearing off a large hunk of bread, Link settled himself on the fountain's edge and soaked in the city life, gazing occasionally at the castle in the distance.

"Look there! Isn't that the horseman we saw before?" Navi asked, fluttering around Link's hand, snacking on her own breakfast of whatever fairies ate. She was pointing off to the side of the marketplace, where a church's spires rose high into the air. Walking his horse along through the narrow walkway, the horseman disappeared around the corner in the direction of the church.

"Well, he's all right now," Link said, tucking the remainder of his bread into his pouch. "Right." He rose, dusting himself off, his gaze fixed on the castle. "How do we get in? Why did you keep me from telling that guard we were trying to see the Princess? He could have helped."

Navi laughed her tinkling, high-pitched giggle. "You really don't remember anything! I can't believe it."

Feeling irritated, he glanced at her askance. "Will you stop that? Why don't you just tell me instead of making me feel like a fool?"

"Can't," Navi answered simply. She fluttered onto his shoulder and sat in silence. He couldn't hide his frustration from her.

"You know, you choose the worst times to decide to stop talking."

She smiled sunnily up at him and then stuck her tongue out.

"Okay. Guess I'd better ask around," he muttered, patting his hair and dusting off the bits of Hyrule Field off his tunic. He approached a vendor laying out his wares – flower pots and vases – and began politely, "Excuse me, sir, but—"

The vendor, startled, jumped two feet in the air and dropped a vase he was handling. Unthinkingly, Link caught the vase just as quickly and tossed it lightly back to the vendor, who did not possess Link's quick thinking. The vase crashed over his head and sent the man down to the ground.

"Er…" Link backed a step away, unsure of what to do. Navi rolled with uncontrollable laughter, gasping for air.

"What'd you do that for, mister?" a low voice asked him, right at his elbow. Link spun around and saw the young boy that had sold him the bread earlier in the morning. He was staring at Link with a mixture of suspicion and awe, clutching his basket of loaves tightly with his small hands.

"You'd better get out of here quick," the boy continued when Link didn't answer, "Mr. Lanko is definitely gonna kill you. Definitely."

Link took a few hurried steps toward the nearest path leading away from the town's center.

"Not that way," the boy called. "That's where his house is – he'll go that way to get some ice for his head for sure, and then he'll see you, and then he'll kill you. Definitely."

"Then where should I go?" Link asked, exasperated. By now a small crowd was gathering around Mr. Lanko, who seemed to be stirring and showing some signs of life. The boy pointed in the opposite direction, across from the fountain. "The temple," he said simply. "Mr. Lanko never goes there. Says it's for the bumpkins and they won't take his money from him no more. But Mistress Telma said that he's just afraid if he gets too close, the gods will strike him down for being a no good philandering—"

"Great, thanks. I'd better go." Link turned and ran, hoping this incident wasn't a bad omen for his future as a Hylian. Some in the crowd turned to watch him go, but no one made any move to follow him or chase him out of town with burning sticks, which he took as a blessing from the gods.

It wasn't until he was around the corner, out of sight from the marketplace, that he breathed a sigh of relief. Maybe he'd stay here for a little while and give that crowd a chance to disperse. He turned his eyes up toward the temple and felt his breath leave him.

It was nearly as tall as the Great Deku Tree, but infinitely more impressive. With windows that glittered with such brilliant colors, the imposing structure stood before him in such silent glory, that he could hardly move or speak. It took him a moment to register the other people moving about its base – most of them wearing deeply cowled robes of some softly shimmering golden fabric. The people here moved slower, and with more calm and less frantic energy than those just around the corner. Some tended the garden and the trees around the temple, while others milled about exchanging words and smiles. In one corner of the small square, two of them stood by a modest-sized fountain from which a proud, beautiful horse drank. Its owner stood by its side, absently stroking its mane. Link gaped in surprise. It was the horseman from the night before – the one that had made that spectacular leap across the moat, escaping the Lizalfos at the last moment. But with the hood of his cloak lowered, Link was astonished to see that it was not a horseman at all, but a horse_woman_.

She spoke with one of the robed men, smiling genially and tossing back her long red hair with a casual flick of her head. There was a fluidity about the way she moved that spoke of almost equine grace, and when she glanced briefly in his direction, Link felt a shock of recognition reverberate deep within the recesses of his mind.

"I know her," he breathed, not daring to speak the unfathomable truth louder than that. He knew her, but how? Who was she? Navi was silent on his shoulder, but he knew she'd tensed with surprise at the sight of the woman as well.

"Does… does she know me?" he asked, after a moment, uncertainly. It was clear to him that whatever happened on the Outside had been wiped from _his_ memory, but … did no one else remember it as well?

"Not you as you are, no." Navi answered cryptically.

"What in the world does that mean?" he asked. "Not as I am? Was I different before?"

"You were older, but she might not remember that," she answered simply. "That's all I'm going to say."

He didn't reply, but only stepped deeper into the shadow and feigned interest in some of the flowers by his feet. His mind was struggling to realize something, but it couldn't quite manage it. Something to do with his memories, and the hazy remains of those missing weeks of his youth, and the reason a woman would know an "older" version of him. It eluded his grasp, like wisps of smoke dissipating in the air. Something else clicked into place, however.

"That thing was after her last night," he said, feeling the first stirrings of a very seeming-familiar concern. "What if there are more? What if it's connected to what's happening to the Great Deku Tree?" Navi was silent.

"I'm going to talk to her," he decided. Hearing no protest from Navi, he adjusted his belt and his hat self-consciously before approaching her. With every step that he came closer to her, her physical attractiveness made itself clearer and clearer to him. Her eyes were dark green, and made brighter by the dark green travelling cloak she wore; her long red hair complemented her pale skin tone perfectly, and rested on her shoulders, surrounded by the golden trim that lined the cloak. The grace of her movements, the ease with which she conversed and laughed with the two robed men, and the liveliness in her expression all leapt out at him, though nothing distracted him from the way her snug riding breeches hugged her curves. She was a fully grown woman, like none he had ever seen before.

He briefly thought of Saria, her pale green hair which always smelled of grass and summer, and her slim child-like figure, crying softly in her room as he had left her. A pang of guilt hit him in his stomach and caused him to stumble in his step. The awkward movement drew the attention of the woman, who looked his way with a kind expression. When he didn't speak, she half-smiled with amusement.

"Yes?" she asked, tucking a strand of her hair behind an ear in what seemed a habitual motion.

He cleared his throat, suddenly tongue-tied. "Um…" he offered, thinking furiously of something better to say. "Nice horse," he finished pathetically, heat rising to his cheeks. The two robed men exchanged knowing glances, chuckled softly, and made their apologies to the woman before leaving them.

"Thank you," she answered graciously. "She seems to like you."

And it was true. The horse had nickered softly at his approach, and though he knew absolutely nothing about horses, it almost seemed to recognize him. The horse nudged his hand, and he gingerly stroked its mane.

The woman was watching thoughtfully. "She _really_ seems to like you," she murmured, frowning. "Have we met before?" she asked suddenly, looking at him with realization dawning in her eyes.

"Erm…" he stammered, not knowing how to answer that question with a simple answer. Thankfully, she saved him from it.

"Of course I know you," she said suddenly, her eyes lighting up with a fierce blaze of recognition. "I should've known it the minute I saw your outfit, but I thought... And you have your fairy! Don't you remember me, Link? I thought you'd died. Or disappeared! Epona just returned to me, out of the blue, and I heard rumors… but I never saw you again."

"S-sorry, but I…"

"It's me, Malon. Don't you remember me, fairy boy?" She laughed delightedly, grasping his arms and spinning him around so he was now face to face with the horse. Confused, he tried to turn and face Malon again, but she wouldn't let him.

"If you don't remember me, you must remember Epona," she said, pushing him another inch closer until he was uncomfortably close to the horse. "She's grown a lot since she was a pony, but I can tell she still remembers you. Don't you recognize her? Look at her!"

"I really… um, I can't…" Freeing himself from her grip, he turned abruptly and faced her. "Look," he said almost belligerently. "I don't remember, all right? I can't." He felt overwhelmed with frustration, and slightly ashamed for taking it out on this innocent bystander, but he couldn't seem to stop it.

"This whole thing is useless," he muttered angrily, so only Navi could hear him. He stomped a few feet away and slammed himself down on the short little stone wall in front of the temple.

"What do you mean you _can't_ remember?" Malon asked calmly, following him and placing herself beside him on the wall. He looked down at their hands, mere inches away from touching, and his breath quickened. "How could you not remember _any_ of it?" she asked. Her wide, mesmerizing eyes stared into his. From this proximity, he could see the flecks of brown surrounded by emerald green, and smell the heady scent of flowers and hay that drifted from her hair.

"I don't know," he said, truly miserable. Navi giggled quietly from her nook on his shoulder.

"You still have this," Malon said with wonder, her hand moving slightly to touch the ocarina hanging from his belt in a gesture that felt oddly intimate. He nodded absently, focusing instead on the slender fingers resting inches from his thigh.

"Do you remember her song?"

"Whose song?"

"_Hers_," Malon nudged him with her shoulder, bringing her close enough that their legs touched, and indicated the horse waiting patiently by the fountain.

"Epona's song?" he asked vaguely, watching as her hand rested with deceptive lightness on his own.

"I taught it to you all those years ago," Malon whispered, now facing him intently. "Don't you remember anything at all?" Her eyes bore into his, a depth of undecipherable emotion swirling in her saddened gaze.

He forgot how to respond to conversational cues. Instead, he was intensely aware of the rapid beating of his heart, the butterflies wreaking havoc in his stomach, and the liquid warmth of her glimmering green eyes. In the space of a few seconds, the distance between them was gone and he felt her soft lips meet his, linger for an agonizingly brief moment, and then pull gently away.

She stayed close, her face flushed. "I- I'm not usually this forward," she stammered, suddenly pushing herself away from him so they sat a good pace apart. "I just… I waited so long, and… well, I thought you were dead," she finished quietly, head hanging so her hair hid her face from view.

The fog seemed to lift from his head, enough so he could recognize with alarming clarity the situation in which he'd found himself. And he became conscious of Navi's incessant giggling.

"Navi, will you go away for a minute?" he snapped irritably.

"Oh _fine_," she laughed, before twirling on the spot and disappearing.

"Malon?" he ventured, feeling the strange familiarity of the name on his tongue. "It's okay, I understand," he said, although he didn't. He couldn't. She didn't respond. "Listen, maybe you could play Epona's song for me. Maybe it'll trigger something," he suggested, offering her the ocarina, hoping it worked as a means to end this dreadful awkwardness.

Her cheeks still ablaze, Malon smiled tentatively and reached out for the ocarina. "Here," she said, regaining some of her innate confidence. "Listen carefully," she instructed, placing the ocarina up to her very soft lips. Link found himself staring at those lips, hardly hearing the notes that issued from the instrument pressed against them.

The melody took on a form of its own; the notes seemed to take physical shape and wrap him up in its irresistable caress. Something stirred deep within him; the beginnings of a memory surfacing after years and years of denial. One image came blazing into his mind – a startlingly clear picture of an older version of himself, standing somewhere unfamiliar on Hyrule Field, playing that achingly familiar tune on his ocarina. More surprising than the picture, was the sharp pang of emotion that he recognized immediately as being associated with this girl sitting in front of him. She had stopped playing and was watching him instead, with intent eyes. He delved into his mind once more for that image – no others came to the forefront of his mind, but this one image – he clung to it fiercely. And the emotion? Missing her. Missing Malon, remembering her every time he played that song on the ocarina, every time he saw his horse – his faithful companion, Epona! – and wishing he could reach her.

Overwhelmed, and mind reeling with unfamiliar sensation, he unthinkingly did what he most wanted to do right in that moment. Leaning forward, he engulfed Malon in a ferocious hug – his first recognizable friend from _the other side_, the forgotten period – and, feeling her arms tighten around him, he leaned back just enough to stare into her face. Her shining face, bright with feeling and recognition _for him_. He brushed her hair out of her eyes in a tender motion, unknowingly taking his cues from her eager smile, and slowly touched his lips to hers in a deep, breath-taking kiss.


End file.
